Constant web tension winding device



June -13, 1967 E. A. MASTRKANI 3,325,114

CONSTANT WEB TENSION WINDING DEVICE Filed April 22, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1' INVENTOR. E. A. MASTR/AN/ ATTORNEV June 13, 1967 E. A. MAsrmW:

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l 0 5 Aufomar/Tc Canfra/ INVENTORQ E. A. MA STR'IAN/ A TTOR/VEV United States Patent 3,325,114 CUNSTANT WEB TENSION WINDING DEVICE Elvin A. Mastriani, Cedar Grove, N.J., assignor to Arrow Converting Equipment, Inc., Fairlield Township, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 449,979 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-75.5)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A winding device for maintaining constant tension on the web being wound onto a take-up reel. As the take-up reel diameter expands, a sensor member tangentially engaging the reel circumference moves, correspondingly rotating a valve and thus controlling, through mechanism actuated thereby, flow of fluid which controls the degree to which the take-up reels are driven by the drive shaft and thus their speed of rotation.

This invention relates to a web winding device and more particularly to such device for the control of the winding torque applied to, and, therefor the, tension imposed on, a web wound onto a hub or reel. In the winding of web material, as the web is wound onto the takeup reel at constant rpm, the take-up reel increases in diameter, torque effect correspondingly varies; stress, strain and stretch effects to a corresponding varying degree are imposed on the web from the initial to the outer convolutions or windings. This result is highly undesirable,

it being essential, for many web :uses, that the tension be constant throughout, to facilitate unwinding of the web, for the uniformity of the strength of the web in use, and for many other reasons.

An object of this invention is to provide a winding device wherein torque transmitted to the web is automatically adjusted to assure uniformity of tension throughout the winding procedure.

Pursuant to the invention the web is not directly driven by the drive means; instead an intermediate member is slidably keyed to the drive shaft, the takeup reel on which the web is wound is slidably mounted on but not keyed to the drive shaft and pressure is applied to the intermediate member automatically to the degree required to achieve varying torque and thus in turn to achieve uniform tension on the web. Novel means are provided automatically sensing the increasing diameter of the takeup reel to effect immediate automatic torque compensation, as required, from the initial to the final web convolution.

The invention thus adapts machines to Various types of web winding operations wherein achievement of constant web tension is important, including, for example (and without limitation thereto) pressure sensitive tape winding machines, wherein variations in web tension would affect the strength and practical value of the product.

The drawings, illustrating procedures and devices useful in carrying out the invention, and the description below, are exemplary only of the invention, which shall be deemed to cover all other devices and procedures coming within the scope and purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters indicate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of parts of a machine embodying the invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view, taken at line 22 of FIG. 7,

FIG. 3 is an elevational, partly schematic view of parts of the invention, shown in one position,

FIG. 4 is a similar view thereof in another position,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, perspective, schematic view, illustrating application of a form of the invention to a web winding machine,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, plan view of the parts shown in FIG. 7,

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional View thereof taken at 77 of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a schematic fragmentary view, including a wiring diagram of a power means which may be used in carrying out the invention, and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a web drive means illustrating the application of another form thereof.

This invention is useful in connection with web machines of various types; as will be apparent from the description and drawings (FIG. 1) a suitable power source is provided for rotating the drive shaft 21, in turn rotating the web takeup reels 22.

One takeup reel 22 is exemplarily shown (FIG. 3); a series of takeup reels as shown in FIGS. 9 and 1 are customarily mounted on a shaft or spaced shafts driven from or synchronized with a common drive source. Pursuant to the invention, the takeup reels are not keyed to but are freely positioned on the drive shaft 21 or along a plurality of such shafts disposed, for example (as in conventional machines) in parallel spaced relation. The web 23 (FIG. 5) is wound onto the takeup reel 22 pursuant to the invention, under constant tension as follows:

A sensor member 24 which may have a roller 24 at the free end thereof (FIGS. 5,3 and 4) is pivotally mounted as at 26 (FIG. 3) at one end of link 25 or block 25a thereon (FIG. 5) and urged, as by spring means 27, into engagement with the takeup web on reel 22. As the web increases in diameter, sensor member 24 will thereby be moved and thus will rotate the valve (FIG. 5) in engagement therewith, which may be visualized as keyed to pivot point 26 (FIG. 3) of sensor member 24 to thereby control flow of fluid, gas or solids, for example, through a hydraulic system such as exemplified in FIG. 8. Rotation of valve 30 controls the direction andiextent of flow of fluid, gas or solids, for example, fluids circulated under pressure, through a hydraulic system as exemplified, in FIG. 8, through lines 31-34 and thus, as through a reverse reduction gear drive 50 (FIG. 1) controls pressure imposed on a fork or other pressure bar 68 to, in

turn, control the torque transfer from drive shaft 21 to.

the web takeup reel 22. To that end, the valve 30 may control the flow of hydraulic fluid through cylinder 35 for reciprocating actuator arm 36 (FIG. 5), connected, as at 37, to, and moved by, the pistonor plunger 38 of cylinder 35. The cylinder 35 and plunger or piston rod 38 define an adjusting motor. A shaft 40 (FIG. 5) rotatably journalled in a suitable bearing 41, is keyed at one end to link 25 and at the other end to actuator arm 36 of cylinder 35 and to member 42 (which may be a pinion or gear) driving a second member 43 (which might be a gear or rack). Referring to FIG. 1, it will be noted that, on rotation of gear 43, gear change mechanism will rotate sprocket 51, driving chain 52 (FIGS 6 and 7) entrained over sprockets 53, 54 (FIG. 2); pins (FIGS. 6 and 2) are mounted in bearings 61 (FIG. 2) held against rotation as by extended forks 62 (FIG. 7) engaging stud shafts 63 in an arrangement such that, on rotation of sprockets 53, internal threads of the sprockets will mesh with external threads of the pin 60 (at 64) and thus impart axial movement to said pin. This movement of the pin, in turn, controls pressure means such as 87 (FIG. 1), controlling the torque engagement of the takeup reels 22 with the drive shaft 21. Said takeup reels 22 or the hubs thereof (FIG. 9) are freely mounted on the drive shaft and pressed by pressure bars or forks 68 hearing against the collars 88 on shaft 21 (FIG. 1) against a fixed collar 92 on the drive shaft, with intermediate spacers 89, 91 (FIG. 9). Pressure bar or fork 68 (FIG. 1) is pivoted as at 70 and actuated by a pressure cylinder 69, controlled, by flow of fluid or other medium as through lines 85, 86 (in turn controlled by wheel 59, FIG. 2); the piston rod or plunger 87 bears against the pressure fork 68 (FIG. 1) and thereby regulates the torque transmission from shaft 21 to the takeup reels. The cylinder 69 and piston rod or plunger 87 define a regulating motor.

Pin 60 in housing 49, may, as shown in FIG. 2, bear against spring 83 and valve diaphragm 84 controlling the flow through lines 85, 86 to cylinder 69 for the purpose above described, in any desired valve arrangement.

Movement of sensor 24 thus controls movement of pin 60, and thus, in turn, controls flow of fluid through cylinder 69 to control the torque transmitted to the reels 22 and webs 39 for the purpose above noted. The pin 60 may be hand operated through wheel 59 (FIG. 2) for setting or resetting purposes. The bearing 61 may be .mounted in a suitable anti-friction assembly 7071 and the parts shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 may be mounted on suitable plates 44, 45 and 46 in the machine, with suitable spacing and locating means 47. Pin 60, spring 83, diaphragm 84 may correspond with the arrangement shown in Patent 2,707,966 for controlling flow (through ports 2 and 3 of the patent) with which lines 85 and 86 to the cylinder 69 may be connected.

Other suitable valve means for the purpose may be used within the scope of this invention. Referring again to FIG. 3, the piston 38 may be controlled by a valve 30 (FIG. 8) in any suitable power system, such as hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical or other source, thus actuated responsive to reciprocation of sensing arm 24, which is urged by spring 27 against the takeup reel 22. Arm 24 may (FIG. be fixed to the center or stem 26 of valve 30 so that movement of arm 24 will correspondingly rotate and actuate-the valve 30. FIG. 8 (by way of example) shows the valve as a sensitive four-way valve; increase in diameter of the web will. (through sensor 24) rotate pin 26, and thus the valve to control the direction of oil fiow in lines 31 and 34 through cylinder 35 and thus controls reciprocal movement of piston 38 which in turn (as above noted) actuates arm 36, rotating the link 25 keyed to shaft 40, carrying the sensor 24,

moving the sensor 24 away from web 39.

The valve diaphragm 84 arrangement (FIG. 2) may be of any suitable construction-for example (but without limitation to) that shown in Patent 2,707,966, such that axial movement of the pin will control the flow of liquid, gas or other means for controlling the pressure exerted against the pressure bar or fork 68, to thus control connection of takeup reels 22 with constantly driven shaft 21. The cylinder 69--pressure bar 68 arrangement may be duplicated at the opposite end of a duplex shaftcylinder assembly as in FIG. 1.

The actual extent of movement of pressure bar 68 in operation pursuant to the invention need be only slight; if greater than required, it is immediately corrected by causing a reverse compensating procedure. In practice, constant small moments of movement thus assure constant correction of pressure on the connecting means between the drive shaft 21 and the takeup reels 22 for automatically correcting torque valves at all times.

From the foregoing, it will be noted, that the pressure exerted by bar or fork determines the extent to which the takeup reels 22 rotate relative to rotation of shaft 21, pursurant to the invention. Thus, while the r.p.m. of shaft 21 may be constant, as the diameter of the web 38 or takeup reel 22 increases, the actual r.p.m. of reels 22 may be correspondingly varied for driving torque adjustment to provide uniform tension on the web material 39 on reels 22.

A power source 100 (FIG. 8) may be provided, with gauge 101, pressure valve 102 and other control and monitoring accessories 103, 104. Suitable controls may be provided, such as a four way solenoid valve 105, for automatic operation of the system normally, and manual control 106 for manual control and resetting, where desired.

The cylinders 35 and 69 may be actuated mechanically, hydraulically, pneumatically or otherwise in accordance with the invention. The cylinder 35 may (FIG. 3) be pivotally suspended as at 57 on a bracket 58 fixed to the machine 20. The term web as used herein shall include tapes, and web of coated and uncoated and laminations.

While the foregoing disclosure of exemplary embodiments is made in accordance with the patent statutes, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby, the inventive scope being defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A winding apparatus for winding material on a reel comprising a shaft, a reel mounted on the shaft, means frictionally engaging the reel with the shaft for driving the reel, and means for regulating the friction means in accordance with the diameter of the material wound on the reel, said means comprising a motor, a sensor for engagement with the material for sensing the amount of material wound on the reel, means controlled by the sensor for energizing the motor, and means controlled by the motor to deenergize the motor after a predetermined increment of movement.

2. A winding apparatus for Winding material on a reel comprising a shaft, a reel mounted on the shaft, means frictionally engaging the reel with the shaft for driving the reel, and means for regulating the friction means in accordance with the diameter of the material wound on the reel, said regulating means comprising a regulating motor, a valve for controlling the operation of the motor, an adjusting motor connected to operate said valve, sensor means for engagement with the material for sensing the amount of material wound on the reel, and valve means operated by said sensor means for controlling the operation of the adjusting motor.

3. A device as defined in claim 2 further including means operated by the adjusting motor to operate said valve means to deenergize the motor after a predetermined increment of movement.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein the means frictionally engaging the reel with the shaft comprises a collar movable on the shaft relative to the reel, a pivoted lever in engagement with the collar, and means connecting the regulating motor to the lever.

5. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein the valve means operated by the sensor means comprises a valve element rotatably connected to the sensor means and wherein the means operated by the adjusting motor to operate the valve means comprises a shaft connected to the motor for rotation thereby.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 wherein the sensor means comprises a lever pivotally mounted on the arm, a roller carried by the lever for contact with the material wound on the reel, and a spring connected to the arm and lever for urging the roller into contact with the material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,252,419 8/1941 Slaughter. 2,396,492 3 1946 Childers 242-- .45 2,680,573 6/1954 Monkley 24275.5 X 2,693,322 11/1954 Mercier 24275.5

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

N. L. MINTZ, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A WINDING APPARATUS FOR WINDING MATERIAL ON A REEL COMPRISING A SHAFT, A REEL MOUNTED ON THE SHAFT, MEANS FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE REEL WITH THE SHAFT FOR DRIVING THE REEL, AND MEANS FOR REGULATING THE FRICTION MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DIAMETER OF THE MATERIAL WOUND ON THE REEL, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A MOTOR, A SENSOR FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MATERIAL FOR SENSING THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL WOUND ON THE REEL, MEANS CONTROLLED BY THE SENSOR FOR ENERGIZING THE MOTOR, AND MEANS CONTROLLED BY THE MOTOR TO DEENERGIZE THE MOTOR AFTER A PREDETERMINED INCREMENT OF MOVEMENT. 